


Laughter Is The Best Medicine

by Kalzul



Series: Sanders Sides Stories [5]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Laughter, Minor Self-Doubt, Movie Night, it is cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 10:45:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12815868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalzul/pseuds/Kalzul
Summary: Do they really want him to laugh? No, they can't possibly! But...what if they do? Maybe they do, maybe they won't mind? Maybe they will? He doesn't know!





	Laughter Is The Best Medicine

**Author's Note:**

> I have an obnoxious, snorty, cackle sort of laugh and it's the weirdest thing. Unlike Virgil, however, I am not that ashamed because I love to laugh. It's worth the weird, horrified looks from bypassers.
> 
>  
> 
> Pairing: Poly Sanders : Friendship/Platonic.

Movie night. This was an ongoing tradition between the original sides. Before they had begun to make an effort to accept Virgil and make him feel included, he had never been invited to one before. Not that he really cared, of course not! He could just watch the movie in his room, alone, by himself. Okay, it bothered him a lot, hearing the hum of a movie and the laughs and voices of the others from just down the hall, it was as if he was smacked in the face by the realisation of how lonely he truly was.

However, since the effort was made to include him, he'd been attending more group activities and such. A common thing among the others was "themed movie nights", which until now, he had yet to be a part of. Virgil fidgeted and took deep breaths, he had never had a movie night before, what if...what if he screwed it up? He was torn between heart-wrenching dread and jittery excitement. When Patton had shown up at his door asking if he wanted to join them, he had choked on his own breath, muttering a "what?"

"Virgil, come sit!" Patton's voice pulled him from his train of thought as he stood next to the couch, shifting awkwardly with his fingers pulling on his drawstrings. He made his way over to the couch, sitting stiffly on the arm of it. "What's the theme tonight, Pat?" Roman asked, turning to look at Patton, who had a beaming smile upon his lips, "tonight's theme is one of my favourites!" They all looked at him, quirking a brow, "comedy!" Roman cheered, Logan smiled, saying a small "satisfactory", but Virgil stiffened. Comedy? Comedy meant...laughing and stuff, right? Virgil didn't want to laugh, they wouldn't want him to either. That is if they knew what his laugh sounded like.

Patton set the snacks and drinks down on the coffee table before pressing play. Virgil then decided that he did not like this and really wanted to leave. He was having so much fun with them as of late and lest this end too soon or at all. Virgil didn't want to ruin this for himself, he was loving feeling so...accepted, wanted, needed, as of late.

~

Okay, he couldn't continue this. Patton, Roman and even Logan were laughing harder than he'd ever seen them, hunching over in laughter and clutching their stomachs. Virgil, however, was trying his hardest not to laugh. The thing is, while Patton, Roman and Logan all have unique, melodic laughs, Virgil has the ugliest laugh. It's obnoxious, he snorts while he laughs and it's an actual cackle of a laugh. Needless to say, he despised his own laugh more than anything else about himself.

God forbid the other sides ever hear his horrible laugh. Hence why he's been straining himself so hard for them not to hear it, he's actually shaking now from the amount of effort he has to put in for his laugh to be a short chuckle at most. It hurt a lot, but as much as he wanted to laugh until he pissed at the movie he doesn't know the name of, he won't let himself. If he doesn't like his laugh, they won't either.

Roman, however, noticed that he wasn't laughing for them to hear. "Virgil, why aren't you laughing? This is hilarious!" Virgil looked at him, trying to hide the pain in his eyes, "I...um.." Patton and Logan also turned to him, confusion in their eyes, mirroring Roman's. "Are you not enjoying yourself, Virgil?" Logan asked, looking at him with a quirked brow, "yeah, we can change it if you don't like it, kiddo! You just have to ask!" Virgil shook his head, "i-it's not that."

They all looked at him expectantly while he only fidgeted. "What is it, kiddo?" Patton said before Logan stuck up his index finger, "I believe Virgil may still be having some..doubts." Patton's eyes widened, "doubts?! Oh, you poor thing!...what kind of doubts?" Logan looked at Virgil who rushed to look away when they made eye contact, "our acceptance towards him. Though this is merely a hypothesis, correct me if I'm wrong in any way, Virgil." When Virgil didn't say anything, Logan simply nodded, proud of his deduction given his lack of proper evidence.

The pressure of all their eyes on him at once was becoming too much. What does Virgil have to say to get them to stop...staring at him? "I...uh..." Virgil couldn't seem to find words to express himself. It was pain that didn't physically hurt, a theoretical rock on his chest that was blocking most oxygen from entering his lungs, he didn't even trust his own voice if he could find the words. The fear that these three would judge and abandon him once they saw his weakness and how easy it was for him to collapse on himself or into said fear.

Virgil would thank him later for it, but Patton noticed his shortening breath, "whoa, guys hush for a moment. Virgil, kiddo, breathe with me, just like you told Thomas. Breathe in for four seconds," Virgil follow Patton as he did so, albeit shakily, "hold your breath for seven seconds," he could feel his racing heart calming down, even if just a bit, "now breathe out for eight seconds," oh, that felt so much easier now, "okay, now do that for however many times you need, no pressure." Virgil calmed himself down until the weight of their stares didn't seem so heavy.

Patton put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "what's eating ya', kiddo?" Virgil looked between the three of them, debating whether to say anything or keep his mouth shut, "well..." However, their patient eyes and welcoming positions made it practically impossible for him not to tell them, "I have a..." He took a deep breath, "I have a really ugly laugh..." He muttered the last part, almost inaudible. By the looks of it, Patton and Logan didn't hear him, but Roman did. "Really? That's the reason you weren't laughing?" Virgil involuntary flinched, quickly spewing out, "I know it's stupid but-"

Realising what he said, Roman quickly shook his hands in the air, "oh, dear goodness, no that came out not how I wanted it to. It's not stupid but..." He took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking Virgil in the eyes, "why do you feel that way?" Virgil huffed strongly, "because it's true! All of your laughs are contagious and a sound you would love to hear again. Mine..." He paused, "mine's annoying. It's too loud, I freaking snort, and I sound like...like a crow! It's not a nice sound and you'd never want to hear it again. It's..." He looked at them, not seeing their current faces but the ones they make whilst laughing, beautiful despite their lack of control, "the laughter of someone who isn't familiar with laughing...it's a reminder." 

The hand on his shoulder clenched a little bit as Patton said, "a reminder?" Virgil sighed sadly, "in my time of existence, which is considerably shorter than you three, I haven't really been familiar with laughing or I'd never allowed myself to because...I didn't feel I deserved it. This made my laugh become changed, strained because is how little it was used, making it sound strange and...strained. Even if I told it to all of you that I was, I wasn't actually incapable of laughter, I just...didn't, wouldn't let myself." Patton's eyes were so sad whilst looking at him. 

"It's funny, actually. The first time I had heard my own laugh in...years, maybe, I was so scared and shocked that it sounded so terrible. I was on Tumblr and saw something funny so I laughed and I actually cried because I hated it so much. If that gives you any insight as to why I didn't blame you for not befriending me sooner or hating me, this is one of the many examples." Patton looked as though he was about to protest but stopped himself, probably deciding that Virgil wouldn't believe him anyway, which was very true.

To Virgil's surprise, Logan spoke up, "I highly doubt we'll "hate" your laugh as you do, seeing as that is the case with many of your insecurities. You haven't even given us a chance to hear it yet, might I add." Looking between the three of them, Virgil sighed again, "that's the whole point..." Patton moved his hand from Virgil's shoulder to lift his chin, looking him straight in the eyes. "Despite what you may end up thinking, we will never hate you or disown you because you opened up to us, that would be unfair to you. We love everything we know about you and everything you'll tell us. They're endearing qualities."

Roman piped up, adding to Patton's "speech", "absolutely! The most we'll do is laugh in good-nature or lightly poke friendly fun! What do you think we're going to do? Shut you out and never talk to you again because we didn't like your  _laugh_?" Virgil fake laughed with no humour, "too close to home there, Prince." Roman's face flushed and he muttered a, "oh...right, um...sorry?" Making Virgil chuckle cynically, laughing as he usually did. Patton and Logan looked at him sadly while Roman tried to rid himself of a blush.

"Look, we know you don't like your laugh but trust us, you can let go. This a very accepting environment." Their mutual prompting looks and patient eyes made it almost impossible to say no. They cared, or at least he hoped they did. Virgil took a breath, giving himself his own mental pep-talk before looking between their eyes, "okay."

Smiling very wide, Patton ran to resume the movie, Roman and Logan going back to find their spots. Once the movie resumed, the other three went right back to laughing their pants off while Virgil slowly eased into letting out more than a cynical chuckle. As that one movie progressed, Virgil started laughing more and more, louder and louder. He was starting to get more comfortable.

When that movie ended, Patton wiped his laughter-induced tears and put on the next one, making Virgil's eyes widened; it was his favourite comedy movie. He found himself easing more into the idea of laughing when he was seriously fond of the movie making him do so. Virgil watched as Patton winked at him while he sat back down, knowing full-well how much Virgil loved this movie. With a warm feeling in his chest, he smiled back at Patton, watching with amazement as Patton's smile somehow widened and brightened to a whole new extent.

As the movie progressed, Virgil's laugh gained more and more volume, got more wholehearted and even made the others smile from their places on the couch. Finally, Virgil's favourite line in the entire movie played, and even if he's heard it a thousand times, he couldn't handle himself as he broke out into an unmasked, uncontrolled, full-belly laughter, making the three other sides turn their heads as his laughter echoed around the room. Their stares didn't affect him, however, as he was too engrossed in the laughter-filled moment. The others joined in because Virgil's laugh was so contagious, more-so than Patton's!

That wasn't the only positive adjective they could use, there were an unlimited amount of words that still wouldn't begin to do justice. They could use "beautiful", "harmonic", "contagious", "cute", "suitable" or "well-fitted", "amazing" and by far the most fitting, "Virgil". The laugh was just so Virgil that it blew all of them away because it as so extraordinary! The way he snorted and laughed like there was no tomorrow, it was almost impossible not to laugh along, even if you did get it.

Patton, Roman and Logan watched him as they laughed along, taking in how he hunched on himself and covered his mouth, trying but failing to shield the beaming, sunshine bright smile that was plastered from ear to ear. His hair fell into his face more than usual and his cheeks were bright pink, even through the foundation, which was coming off because he was rubbing it with his hands, or more accurately: sweater-paws.

When Virgil's laughter died into giggles, he turned to look at the three of them, masked worry in his eyes, silently asking them for their judgement. They stayed silent for a moment before Patton squealed loudly, making Virgil flinch. "AH! I love your laugh so much, kiddo! It's so cute and awesome and contagious! Oh my goodness, it is so contagious! Most of all though, it's just so..." He paused, thinking, "Virgil! It suits you well. An amazing, cute lil' laugh for an amazing, cute lil' kiddo!" Virgil's face grew hot and he put his sweater-paws to his mouth, covering his face and muttering a small, "thank you.."

Logan piped up from beside Patton, "I do agree with Patton, and might I dare say that your laugh may be more contagious than Patton's." Patton turned to Logan, a baffled look on his face, "my laugh's contagious? I didn't know that!" Roman now had his turn to speak, taking longer because of the shock of Virgil's laugh still blocking some thoughts, "Logan is right, your laugh is...outstanding. I've never heard you laugh before, Hot Topic, but I think happiness looks good on you." Virgil's eyes widened and he looked between the three of them, utterly flattered by their words.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around Virgil's waist and a head buried itself in his chest. "We love you, kiddo, and we wish you all the happiness in the world." His eyes welled up with tears, but like once in a blue moon, his tears were not evoked by that of sadness...but by that of love and happiness. Roman and Logan came in and hugged him as well, leaving him enclosed in a large heap of person, being hugged like he'd drift away if they let go.  _Yeah,_ Virgil thought,  _happiness may just be my colour, maybe I can pull it off?_ He hugged them back with just as much passion, closing his eyes and smiling.

~

Virgil knew that he'd waited far too long to open up to them, he was very much aware. He was scared before, terrified of simply  _what they would think._ However, he had now been taught--no, he'd been  _shown_ that he too could be open up and not be judged. He would be  _perceived,_ not judged, for they would use their new knowledge to create a more accurate vision of Virgil in their minds and help to try and understand him more. Now that he felt just that much more comfortable, their opinions didn't frighten him anymore. In fact, he enjoyed their opinion because it gave him some insight into how their brain worked and saw things.

He knew that this was a start, that he could base all of his further..."opening up"s from this one, as this was a very solid baseline. As much as certain attributes his fellow sides possess annoy him beyond all means, they also are the reason he's made it this far. Their persistence, stubbornness and "sunshine" nature have helped him open up and even keep going when they "hated him". He was very grateful for them, all of them. Virgil loved them so much.


End file.
